Johann tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at her superior. It was clear that with this guy, the usual references were out the window. She might believe he wasn't just a dirty pervert, but mind meld… that was even crazier.

"What does a mind meld do?"

"You'll gain access to my memories and my mind. There's no other way to describe it."

"And you'll access mine?" she asked warily.

"Yes. But it's not relevant to probe your mind."

"Well, I don't have any guarantees on that. What do I know about Vulcans? You might have shady intentions."

Spock leaned back in his seat, looking at her seriously.

"Ms. Stone, I am the second-in-command, and the safety of the crew is my responsibility. Regulations prohibit a commander from doing anything that could jeopardize the physical or mental health of any crew member."

"Without meaning to contradict you, sir, your 'mission' seems full of physical and mental risks."

"Missions follow different rules."

"Ah! See?"

"You haven't accepted this mission yet."

She stared at him for a long moment, then lowered her head, tapping the back of the chair, unsure if he was trustworthy.

"You must at least know that Vulcans don't lie," he continued.

"Yeah… that's what they say."

"And it's true. Vulcans do not lie," he said seriously. "That being said, I give you my word, Ms. Stone, that I will not probe your mind."

With his hands clasped in front of him, he looked at her with complete honesty. Jo held his gaze. This guy was totally off his rocker, but there was something strangely genuine about him. He seemed confident, so… maybe she was wrong about his intentions after all? It wouldn't hurt to get to the bottom of this. And would she ever get another chance to do a Vulcan mind meld? That was pretty cool.

"Okay… fine."

"I ask for your word that you will never speak of what you see. To anyone, and especially not to me."

"But, it's your memories, right?" Jo said, taken aback.

"We never speak of it. It's…" he looked down, uncomfortable. "Will you give me your word?"

"Yeah, Ok. It's a promise."

He stood up, walked around the desk, and approached her.

"I need to place my hand on your cheek."

She nodded, and by reflex, he raised his right hand. Changing his mind, he lifted his left hand to place his fingers on her less dirty cheek. She had a fleeting thought about the coolness of his skin before she was engulfed in a nightmare. She felt her veins boil and was overcome with uncontrollable shivers. She heard the call of Vulcan twisting her insides while an uncontrollable desire overwhelmed her mind. She felt a fierce urge to slash and kill with unimaginable violence, and an appetite for flesh so intense that her entire body seemed to tear apart.

Then there was Spock in front of her, his hazel eyes locked onto hers.

"Oh my god! This is insane!" she cried, stumbling backward in fear. "What is…"

"Don't speak of it!"

She backed up until she was against the wall, staring at him in shock. She understood now. Yes! It hadn't lasted more than three seconds, but she understood perfectly. This crazy thing needed to be satisfied, there was no arguing that.

"Showing this is extremely embarrassing. I would prefer not to have to repeat it with someone else."

Spock turned his back to her and faced his desk as if to compose himself.

"Especially since that other would be less qualified than you to handle… the situation. It would therefore make sense for you to accept."

Huddled against the wall as if to protect herself from what she had just seen, Johann felt a deep pity. Good God! It was completely inhuman. Who would be heartless enough to leave anyone to such torment?

"Sir," she said, trying to collect her thoughts. "If I say yes… What will happen?"

"I don't know," he said without turning around.

"You don't know?"

"No."

"Well … it's not reassuring," she said, disconcerted.

He turned his head to look at her.

"No, indeed. It is not."

Jo crossed her arms as if to shield herself from the mere idea of what might happen.

"Will you be able to control yourself? It was so…"

"I don't know."

"You could hurt me, couldn't you?"

"Yes. It's possible, though I have no intention of doing so."

"But this is insane! You could rape me! Do you know that humans can be traumatized for life from such attacks?!" she said, horrified.

"Certainly. That's the crux of the problem."

He walked around the desk to resume his seat and placed his hands in front of him.

"I have studied the issue extensively, and it appears that the two situations can be perceived differently. For a victim, rape is akin to being dragged through mud and refuse, while the… what you saw could be seen as a violent storm."

Jo sniffed, looking at him seriously, then sat back down in front of him.

"Violent is putting it mildly."

"Of course, the difference may be nonexistent for some people. But I believe you can make that distinction and likely able to come through unscathed. I've carefully analyzed the files of the one hundred and twelve female members of the crew, and your psychological profile is by far the most suitable for this mission."

Johann took a deep breath to force herself back to reality. This was madness. Pure madness. Not to mention that his analyses were really getting on her nerves.

"Listen… I'd like to help you, but you understand that this is frightening, don't you?"

He glanced down for a moment, as if to acknowledge her point.

"Could… Could you kill me?"

"No. I don't think so. But I could kill someone else. We will be isolated to avoid that."

Jo looked at him with a smile.

"That's really charming."

Spock observed her closely.

"Is that irony?"

"YES!" she shouted. "Because if you really want to know, this is the worst come-on I've ever seen in my life!"

She sighed and sank into her seat as Spock watched her.

"Sorry, I'm a bit on edge."

"That reaction was predictable. I selected you in part for your combative skills, even though they may be unpleasant."

"Unpleasant? Really? Honestly, I hope I'm not disappointing you, but when I'm not being asked to be raped, I'm quite sociable."

"Indeed, that is…"

"Let me guess," she interrupted, "it's one of the reasons that makes me so interesting?"

"Yes. I believe your personality shows a balance of aggressive and good tendencies in ideal proportions."

"A little whip here, a little pet there…"

"I mean that your reaction to mating will most likely be balanced. This is crucial in a context where inappropriate reactions must be avoided."

"So… what am I supposed to do if I have an 'inappropriate reaction' and you lose it?"

"I believe you'll be able to adjust. Your adaptability is excellent."

"You know a lot… And I suppose you also know how I can be shitty at times."

"In my view, you have no concerning innate weaknesses if that's what you mean. However, on a circumstantial level, your vulgarity is bothersome to me."

"Oh. No kidding," she said, crossing her arms. "And that little detail didn't cross your mind when you decided to hit on a third-class maintenance mechanic?"

"Regardless of your assignment, you are required to address your superiors appropriately."

"Because you think your mission is appropriate?" she exclaimed. "Given the nature of your projects, don't expect me to play the dumb, starry-eyed subordinate and call you commander!"

"You will be on a mission, Miss Stone. Don't forget this point."

She stared at him intensely for several seconds, unable to respond due to the sheer absurdity of it all, then burst into laughter. It was completely crazy. This guy was crazy, the situation was even crazier, and this damn mission surpassed in madness anything she could have imagined.

"That's an excellent reaction," Spock approved.

Jo stopped laughing and sniffed.

"Stop analyzing me all the time like this; it's irritating."

"This analysis is essential for your safety."

"But you can do it in your head, right?"

Jo sighed and looked thoughtfully at her hands with their dubious nails.

"With all due respect, what I'm saying, sir, is that in the activity we're discussing, hierarchical barriers cannot apply. Because otherwise, you'd be, sir, a complete jerk."

Spock observed her impassively.

"It's like the guy who's banging his secretary, get it?"

"Sexual relations between crew members of different hierarchical levels are not prohibited."

"That's not the point. It's about someone taking advantage of the situation, you know?"

"Yes. But this scenario does not apply to the mission."

Jo sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Look, it's very simple. If I'm forced to call you 'commander' while you're waving your wand, I'm going to lose it. Seriously, it's not an option."

Spock raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"In fact, according to the documents I've reviewed, human sexual practices can involve hierarchical role-playing."

"I guess that can happen, but you know what? After what I saw in your head, something tells me that stupid role-playing games don't apply to your damned mission."

He nodded slightly.

"No. Indeed," he conceded.

"And that's why, given the specific situation, hierarchy cannot be respected within the context of this particular mission," she said as if speaking to a particularly obtuse child.

Spock pondered for a moment as if considering all possible options.

"Yes. That makes sense."

"Well, it's about time," Johann sighed.

"Your proposal is accepted. If you participate in this mission, you will not have to adhere to the hierarchy within the scope of your task."

"My task, yes… It's very considerate of you."

"But I insist the use of formal address will still apply," he persisted.

She shrugged, tired of his hierarchical qualms.

"If you want."

Spock looked at her for a moment without saying anything, then clasped his hands in front of him.

"The captain has classified this mission as a level four. That said, I must specify that I disagree. I believe this mission should be classified as level three."

Given that the higher the mission level, the better the chances of advancement, one could deduce that this guy had no sense of gallantry.

"Oh really? And in your fine calculations, did you consider that I might come out of this with lifelong psychological damage?"

"The difference between a level three and a level four mission is the risk of physical death. Given what happened seven years ago, it is understandable that the captain considers this risk to be inherent. However, since it is extremely rare for a male to kill his mating partner, I do not believe this danger concerns you."

The young woman widened her eyes as if she could not believe what she was hearing.

"It would be counterproductive," he felt it necessary to explain.

She crossed her arms, looking at him angrily.

"As for me, your mission involves being locked up in a corner of the ship and letting a crazy hostile creature mount me like a cow because he freak the fuck out in rutting season! I say it's worth a level four. Don't you think?"

He raised his head as if he had been struck and stared at her with a strange intensity. The edges of his ears turned a slight green, which made her realize that she might have pushed it a bit too far.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to… say it like that," she apologized.

Johann shuddered at the terrible vision and sank back into her seat.

"I would have thought a level three would seem preferable to a level four," he said nonchalantly.

She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes. I suppose that's exactly what should have happened."

Perhaps considering that such illogicality was not surprising in a human, he made no further comment.

"I believe you have all the necessary information to make a decision. I will give you thirty-five hours to respond."

"Thirty-five? Isn't that a bit short?"

"In the event of a refusal, I will have to assign another fem… another woman. All have the same response time."

"And out of curiosity, how many do you have in the queue?"

"Does it matter to you?" he asked, observing her.

"Not really… but I'm just wondering, what happens if they all refuse?"

"I will have to go to Vulcan for an indefinite period."

Jo smiled pleasantly.

"So, if I refuse… you won't die."

"It's unlikely. However, the price will be high for the Enterprise. And if one of your colleagues were to accept, she would do so at a higher risk than yourself would be taking. I believe this point deserves your attention."

Jo nodded as if to approve the reasoning.

"It makes sense, sir. When you get a discount, it's only fair that you pay for everyone."

She eyed him defiantly while he remained silent. The silence lasted long enough for her to feel the need to clear her throat and settle back into her seat.

"Do you have any other questions, Miss Stone?"

She shook her head, feeling she'd heard enough for the day.

"In that case, you may go. You are relieved of your duties for thirty-five hours."

He got up as if nothing had happened, and Johann felt a strong sense of unreality. Seeing him like that, with his hair perfectly in place and his uniform looking sharp, it was hard to believe he had just offered her the shittiest sex of the century.

"Sir."

Like in a dream, she left, went down to the techs' floor, and locked herself in her quarters. She stood in the middle of the tiny, messy cell where clothes and tools were piled up in every corner and took a moment to try to convince herself that all this was real.

Looking up, she saw her reflection in the mirror above the small sink and jumped. Her face was streaked with a large brownish oil stain extending from her nose to her ear. It looked as if she had grabbed a piece of shit and smeared it all over her face. She blinked.

She had spent the entire interview with that huge mess on her face …

She touched the dirt and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. The fact was, the commander's word was not to be taken lightly. When that guy said he didn't care if his mating partner was turn him on or not, he was dead serious.